cheap cameras that take cool pictures?

[auto]

I just got a digital camera off office depot for free and it takes cool pictures. only problem is, it is so cheap that it doesnt always save the pictures after i take them-- very frustrating. i take a hundred pictures, accidentally drop the camera or the battery slot opens and all the pictures are gone! a friend of mine says the camera has just one lense or something, therefore giving it the holga effect and i like how the pictures look. But i've been burned by it too many times, i need a different one.


i'm just looking for a digital cheap camera (under $50) that takes cool pictures but is cheap and works. want it to be able to hold at least 75 pictures that are not tiny. Please help me if you can.


thanks,
auto

[zrfraser]

What camera did you get? I work for Office Depot and was just curious which ones they were giving for free, or was it a gift?

Z

[auto]

It didnt have a brand name on it. just called 300k pixel digital camera. i got it for free when i bought an external hard drive from them online. the first one they sent me screwed up so i called in and they sent me another one. the other one is crap too.

[zrfraser]

Those cameras are going to be crap, which I probably why they were giving them away. For a good cheap camera I would look into a Canon A530. They are running for about $130 brand new. They have 5 MP and a 4x optical zoom. Great camera for those on a budget.

Z

[espressotalk]

Hi

Buy at least a 5mp camera. Remember its not the camera that takes the shot its you.

Lighing is everything, don't just depend on the flash. Get a camera that offers manual settings and learn them all to give you an advantage in differnet lighting situations. Sometimes shooting in the auto mode is not the best choice.

Look for ISO ranges 80 to 800 at least!
Camera should offer a good range of WB (white balance modes)
Good optics, what the camera sees is everything!
Make sure it is comfortable to hold, this will eliminate some camera shake.

Stick to the major brands, too.

Have fun!